Contempt findings now with OAG

House of Representatives Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) has forwarded the certified statement of contempt against Nonstop Corp.’s Robert Travilla and Salina Sapp to the Office of the Attorney General for prosecution in the Superior Court.

In a letter addressed to Attorney General Edward Manibusan last week, Villagomez certified the findings of the House Special Committee on Federal Assistance and Disaster-related Funding that cited business partners Travilla and Sapp in contempt.

“I have reviewed the special committee’s report, and…I hereby certify this statement of contempt to your office of the Attorney General for the purpose of prosecuting [Travilla and Sapp] in the Commonwealth Superior Court,” the letter states.

When sought for comments if Travilla and Sapp will be prosecuted in Superior Court, assistant attorney general James Kingman, who spearheads the white-collar crimes task force, replied that he could not comment on the matter.

A former report stated that the House committee had also found former Finance secretary David DLG. Atalig in contempt, but Saipan Tribune was unable to get a copy of the letter certifying the contempt findings.

Villagomez was quoted last week as saying that he would be certifying a statement of contempt against the former Finance secretary.

According to a previous article on the Saipan Tribune, the special committee found Atalig in contempt for not responding to most questions relating to the previous administration’s Building Optimism, Opportunity, and Stability Together grant program. Atalig repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in responding to the questions.

Travilla and Sapp, who are co-owners of the company that was hired to promote the BOOST program, had also invoked their Fifth Amendment right in responding to most of the committee’s questions relating to the BOOST Program.

Shayne Villanueva of Roil Soil, who was also part of the team that marketed the BOOST program, was the first to be called before the committee and had also been cited for contempt after he also refused to answer the committee’s questions.

Edmund Villagomez